Zhou Guanyu
Yangcheng Evening News reporter Hao Haoyu
Since the outbreak of the Xinguang epidemic, the sports world has been hit hard, with international competitions such as the Olympics postponed or canceled, and Chinese athletes' international journeys thus being hampered by a number of obstacles. Although the global epidemic has yet to fully subside, a number of events have recently been held as scheduled. Chinese athletes have demonstrated to the world the resilience and elegance of Chinese sports in the midst of risks and challenges.
Among them, some athletes have won honors, some are working towards their goals, and some are not performing as well as they should. However, under the gloom of the epidemic, their efforts to prepare for and compete in the competition have far exceeded those of the past, and no matter what the outcome is, their spirit is worthy of our respect as they fight in the international arena wearing the national flag.
Closed training is not easy for the national football team
The list of the top 32 for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar has been finalized, with the Chinese men's soccer team once again missing out on the World Cup final round. In the 12-team tournament, the national football team won one, drew three and lost six, accumulating only six points, which triggered widespread criticism. The performance of the national football team is indeed disappointing, but if you look at the perspective of going abroad to isolate the game, all the players of the national football team have been under tremendous pressure.
Since January 2021, the national football players have begun a long period of isolation training and competition. 12 strong tournament lasted until the end of March 2022, after returning to the country also need to experience "14 + 7" isolation period. In this more than a year, plus the national team training and league closed concentration time, the closed life of the national football players up to 300 days, basically in the game, the hotel two point one line state. Although the national soccer team to protect the team rented a hotel with excellent environment, but such a closed life undoubtedly affects the players' state.
In addition, the lack of a fixed home field also had a negative impact on the performance of the national football team. Throughout the 12 stages of the tournament, the national football team set up their "home" in Sharjah, UAE, and there were no fans there to support them. In the case of the other five teams in the same group all have their own home field, the national football team is in an unfavorable position.
Although the performance of the national football team in the 12 strong match is not satisfactory, but considering the strength of this is at a disadvantage, and lost the home advantage, coupled with the players for a long time in the centralized isolation of the high-pressure state, the national football team in the 12 strong match to return home in defeat is also reasonable.
Professional sports power up as they venture into the international arena
While participating in international competitions, a number of athletes also went overseas to train in their personal capacity during the epidemic in order to improve their competitive level. For sports that are highly professionalized and well developed internationally, such as tennis, combat and F1, going abroad is a step that athletes must take.
Currently, Chinese women's tennis player Zheng Qinwen is one of the best. She reached the round of 16 at the recently concluded French Open, only to lose to eventual champion Svartak, and won the title at the WTA Valencia, all because of her hard work and dedication.
In 2020, when the epidemic ravaged the world and China was relatively safe, 19-year-old Zheng Qinwen resolutely embarked on the road of training abroad. For the past two years, Zheng Qinwen has been training for a long time in Barcelona, Spain, where she has been given more matches and growth opportunities than domestic players. In these two crucial years of growth, Zheng Qinwen gave up a safe environment to earn the opportunity to become a top tennis player.
There are many other athletes like Zheng Qinwen who are brave enough to step out of their country at a special time ......
Diving, gymnastics, weightlifting and other sports are our strengths and have good training conditions at home, but for the more professionalized sports, they have to go abroad if they want to achieve results. Going abroad to train and compete will certainly be affected by the epidemic, but they can also get a quality training environment and higher attention that they can not get at home. Chinese sports need such athletes, and their achievements or progress will also boost the overall development of Chinese sports.
Team builds on Paris Olympic cycle
In recent months, more and more international events have resumed and this has posed new challenges for Chinese athletes to compete.
Next, the World Swimming Championships, the Men's Basketball Asia Cup, and the 3-Person Basketball U21 World League will be held one after another, and the Chinese army will form a team to travel. The Chinese team will also face the pressure of epidemic prevention and control while striving for good results, and the athletes will need to endure more tests.
At the Women's Basketball World Cup qualifier held in Belgrade, Serbia in February, the Chinese women's basketball team won three consecutive victories and advanced to the World Cup with their heads held high. However, on the eve of returning to China, a positive case was detected in the visiting team of the women's basketball team, which triggered the concern of domestic fans. However, the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) made plans in advance and reacted quickly.
After the case was diagnosed, the Chinese Basketball Association contacted our Embassy in Serbia at the first time to request assistance. With the efforts of the embassy, Serbia opened a green medical channel for the Chinese women's basketball team. In addition, the Basketball Association organized a team of domestic experts to remotely diagnose the women's basketball girls and give them professional guidance.On March 12, the Chinese women's basketball team departed for home after a hard time.
The Chinese badminton team had a similar experience. 2022, at the beginning of the new Olympic cycle, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) tournaments resumed in full swing. In order to enhance the participation experience of young players and compete for world ranking points, the national badminton team went to Europe in early March. According to the plan, the national badminton will compete in all over the world, and set up a training camp in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and train there after the game. This is the first time in the history of the national badminton long time outside training, but also the association and the team in a special period of a new exploration.
Last year, after the Tokyo Olympics and Shaanxi National Games, the national badminton then went to Europe to participate in the return home according to the provisions of the isolation of 21 days before "out of the gate" to prepare for the World Championships, and therefore missed the three-stop event held in Bali, Indonesia, which had a certain impact on the athletes' state of play.
Now that the Paris Olympic cycle has begun, there are a large number of newcomers and new combinations in the team that urgently need to compete to earn points. Under the premise of complying with the national epidemic prevention regulations, the national badminton team needs to develop a new mode of competition and training from the perspective of preparing for the Paris Olympics. The Badminton Association of China (BAC) decided to set up a training camp in Chiang Mai to serve as a transit point for the team to compete in international tournaments in the next six months. After the All England Open, some of the players tested positive for the new crown, and the national badminton team quickly activated the relevant plans to provide full support and protection for the team from the medical, psychological and life aspects.
